Chapter 27: Rejection part 1
Ning Yunyi thought he had heard wrong and asked for confirmation, uncertain. “You said… Uncle?”
A trace of sorrow surfaced in City Lord Bai’s eyes, carrying a nostalgia for the past. “A’Cheng’s birth mother was indeed from the Zong family.”
“But the outside world has never mentioned that the Zong family produced a half-beast.” This was the source of Ning Yunyi’s confusion.
The Zong family was one of the top three noble families on the First Star. If a half-beast had appeared among their descendants, the news would have spread quickly. Even after so many years, it was impossible for the traces to disappear so completely.
Not to mention that the Zong family had now produced a Marshal.
Although they were both from the Zong family, the original host’s memories contained no rumors about this Marshal being a half-beast either.
City Lord Bai clenched his fists, as if recalling something. “The outside world indeed doesn’t know, because A’Cheng’s birth mother was the adopted daughter of the old Zong family head. Coupled with her low profile and the numerous Zong descendants, she was unremarkable among them. Not long after she came of age, the news that she was a half-beast was leaked by someone. Pressure came from above. To repay the kindness of her upbringing and not wanting to put the old family head in a difficult position, she didn’t tell anyone and voluntarily… entered the training base.”
City Lord Bai couldn’t continue. The old family head knew her background, which was why he had protected her for so many years.
Unfortunately, there were those among the Zong descendants who didn’t want her to stay. Not only did they report the news, but they also wanted to use it to seek some unknown glory.
If she succeeded, her resume would look impressive, bringing honor back to the Zong family lintel.
If she failed, she was just an adopted daughter; her death would mean nothing.
City Lord Bai smiled mockingly. “It’s a pity that the villain behind the scenes actually won the bet. She hid her identity for a few years, returned from training, joined the military, and was promoted several ranks in just two years.”
Then, thinking of something else, he looked desolate again. “But later, something happened to her. The old family head fell seriously ill upon hearing the news. Marshal Zong was still young back then. To find out the cause of her accident, he also joined the military without hesitation.”
Ning Yunyi’s expression was grave after listening. He knew the treatment of half-beasts was bad, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad.
“And then? Did they find out who originally leaked the news?” Since the old family head had hidden it for so long, only close family members could have known this secret.
City Lord Bai shook his head. “When the accident happened, the old family head purged the people in the Zong manor, but no one admitted to it. I don’t know what happened after that. I fled here with A’Cheng, who was still young at the time, fearing that one day A’Cheng would be taken away too.”
If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to face her even in death.
He had been hiding for so many years.
Perhaps because the person in front of him had saved A’Cheng, or perhaps because he had kept such a huge secret alone for too long, he just wanted to find someone to talk to.
He actually ended up saying so much.
Or maybe, City Lord Bai feared that if he died one day, no one would know her story.
He didn’t dare tell A’Cheng these things either. With his son’s temperament, he feared A’Cheng would immediately return to the First Star and turn it upside down.
If there had been any other way this time, he wouldn’t have taken the risk.
“Although I ran away with A’Cheng, I couldn’t help but inquire about news from the Zong family. I also know quite a bit about the affairs between these younger generations.” Or rather, he was unwilling to let it go, wanting to know who had leaked the secret back then, causing the dead end she eventually walked down.
Ning Yunyi didn’t know how to comfort City Lord Bai, so he could only remain silent.
City Lord Bai waved his hand. “Let’s get back to the Mu family. Which aspect of Mu Jiayi does my sworn brother want to know about?”
Ning Yunyi: “Everything related to him.”
City Lord Bai: “Actually, there isn’t much about him publicly, but there are indeed a few strange things. The first strange thing is that three or four years ago, he suddenly got engaged to Zong Ling. That’s why the people I sent to monitor the Zong family investigated him as well.”
Ning Yunyi looked over, puzzled. “Why do you say that? Is there a problem with this engagement?”
City Lord Bai didn’t hide anything and explained directly, “Three or four years ago, before the two got engaged, Zong Ling once asked his parents to contact the Ning family parents.”
Hearing this, a subtle emotion rose in Ning Yunyi’s heart, though he didn’t show it on his face. It can’t be what I’m thinking, right?
Zong Ling, the Eldest Young Master Zong, was the very person who had stopped the original host to confess his feelings, a scene witnessed by Mu Jiayi.
The look Mu Jiayi had given the original host back then was still fresh in his memory.
Zong Ling asking his parents to go to the Ning family—did he plan to bypass the original host and go directly to convince Father and Mother Ning for a marriage alliance?
City Lord Bai’s answer confirmed his guess. “Zong Ling initially wanted to marry the Ning family’s youngest son. Both were at the Federal Military Academy and in the same year. Zong Ling liked this Second Young Master Ning very much. He made a fuss for a long time back then before his parents agreed to test the waters with the Ning family.”
Ning Yunyi nodded. He understood Zong’s parents’ thoughts. Zong Ling was the eldest grandson of the Zong family. That Marshal Zong wasn’t married and had no children, appearing set on staying solitary forever.
Therefore, Eldest Young Master Zong was naturally seen as the future heir of the Zong family.
How could Zong’s parents be willing to let their son marry someone from a lower status, and one with such a big gap at that?
They probably couldn’t out-stubborn Zong Ling and agreed casually first.
City Lord Bai: “But as a result, before the Zong family could visit the Ning family, word came out that these two had begun secretly preparing for an engagement.”
Ning Yunyi’s expression sank as a thought struck him.
The original host hadn’t paid much attention to the engagement between Mu Jiayi and Zong Ling. Firstly, he didn’t care. Secondly, when the news of their engagement came out, he had just discovered he was three months pregnant.
Because he didn’t have the memory of the accident, he was completely panicked and broken, naturally unable to care about anything else.
The time the news of Mu Jiayi and Zong Ling’s engagement spread was far removed from the time of the incident, so even though Ning Yunyi knew this memory of the original host, he hadn’t thought much of it.
Now hearing City Lord Bai mention it, he realized the engagement between the two major families wasn’t that simple.
Before the news was officially released, the two families would need time to negotiate and prepare. So, pushing the timeline back…
Was it possible that something happened back then that forced Mu Jiayi and Zong Ling, whose “heart belonged to another,” to enter a marriage alliance?
For Zong Ling to be forced to take responsibility for Mu Jiayi, they must have had an intimate relationship.
Ning Yunyi’s eyes darkened. “When was the earliest the two families started contact regarding the engagement?”
City Lord Bai thought for a long time before remembering and stating a time.
Ning Yunyi lowered his eyes, his expression changing completely.
It coincided exactly with the days just after the original host’s accident and the conception of Ning Xiao Miao.
Connecting this with the look Mu Jiayi gave the original host during Zong Ling’s confession, it was likely that Mu Jiayi liked Zong Ling.
And Zong Ling liked the original host.
Mu Jiayi simply took the opportunity to ruin the original host, and “coincidentally” had something happen with Zong Ling himself, forcing Zong Ling to marry into the Mu family.
Ning Yunyi’s eyes were ice-cold. If this was really done by Mu Jiayi, then he was the culprit behind the original host’s tragic death.
Recommended Reads
